really exciting news around here that i’m happy to finally get to share. yesterday i received the final signed contract to write faith shift: hope for spiritual refugees, church burnouts, and freedom seekers (that’s the working title) for convergent books, a new random house imprint!

it’s a long crazy story how it all came about but they approached me last year right as i started the rebuilding after deconstructing series with some hopes for a project together. i felt honored at the prospect and a little scared, too, because i have had some weird publishing experiences and am in the thick of things with the crazy work of the refuge & all these kids.

yet, after that series ended & i saw what it stirred up, i knew i wanted to make it into something more comprehensive & accessible, with real and raw stories and tangible possibilities to help people navigate through these crazy shifts. so many of us have unraveled but have become very lost when it comes to resurrecting something new.

in the fall the editors and i began working through what that might look like and this book is what emerged.

it makes me smile whenever i think of it.

it’s for spiritual refugees, who have somehow shifted in what we believe and lost our certainty, our churches, and all kinds of other things.

it’s for church burn-outs, who are done with the same old same old but don’t know how to intersect with God & faith & community in a new way because there are so few options or guides.

and it’s for freedom-seekers, those who are done feeling stuck & bound & caged by the system and long for a free-er and more active faith.

i am all three of these.

and i am always in need of hope & ways to keep moving toward love.

faith shifts are hard, but so much new life can come out of them.

i’ve got a wild amount of work to do in the upcoming months but am looking forward to digging in. i feel honored to get a chance to work with some amazing editors who really believe in this book. i’m also glad for the opportunity to tell some of your stories, if you are willing to share them more intentionally. a lot of us here are finding our own messy way and i’d love to have some of your feelings & experiences help those who come behind us feel less crazy & less alone.

yesterday, i had a new post up at sheloves magazine, part of the monthly down we go column i write the first tuesday of every month. it’s called not enough and too much, and the timing is definitely ironic. you can go over there and read it, but trust me, i’ve got both of these feelings in full swing right now related to this project! oh,i will need God’s help with crazy brain. my hope & prayer is that i can just be me, share what i & my friends keep learning through these scary & beautiful shifts, and have a little fun in the process.

thank you for reading here, for being part of this wild & unexpected journey the past 5 years, for all your love & support. i am so grateful for this space to keep hacking through this hard stuff together in search of beauty and hope and freedom. along with the refuge, this blog community has been one of my greatest joys and both have helped resurrect my faith in all kinds of lovely & surprising ways.

peace and hope, kathy

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ps: i wanted to add, too, that we pushed the date back one week for our next walking wounded: hope for those hurt by church online class so it’s starting this upcoming monday march 11th. we don’t have another one scheduled for the rest of 2013 so if you have been thinking about it but haven’t been quite sure, we hope you will join us for this round. 4 weeks, at your own pace, no need to be online at a specific time. i know it’s a brave step, but our experience in past groups is that it has been a really helpful way to get traction and healing when we’re feeling stuck, lost, and wondering which end is up when it comes to church and/or faith. you’re not crazy (well, maybe sort of), but you’re definitely not alone.